The United States announced that it will donate 500 million doses of Pfizer’s vaccine to 92 low- and lower-middle-income countries and economies as defined by Gavi’s COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) and the African Union. Bolivia, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras and Nicaragua are some of the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean that will receive vaccines. Brazil is out of the list.

The forecast is that 200 million doses will be delivered by the end of this year and the remaining 300 million will be delivered in the first half of 2022. The doses will be produced at Pfizer plants in Michigan, Kansas, Missouri and Massachusetts. According to the U.S. government, this is the largest-ever purchase and donation of vaccines by a single country.

The distribution will be made through the COVAX system, the World Health Organization (WHO) global initiative to ensure rapid and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries.

The countries covered were defined according to the criteria of the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC), signed by the global alliance for vaccination GAVI. The list of 92 AMC-eligible economies includes all economies with Gross National Income (GNI) per capita under US$ 4,000 plus other World Bank International Development Association (IDA)-eligible economies.

Other Latin American countries, such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela, have expressed interest in receiving vaccines via COVAX, but are considered financially capable of purchasing doses.